A Second Chance
by LivingDeadPhantom
Summary: "ForbiddenShipping".  It all starts with death and love to find a new beginning for Lance and Satoko.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome! This is a short story series involving Lance and Satoko. Before you get to reading, let me clear some things up.**

**Satoko is Leaf; the female player from the Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen games. I call her that because (I'm a Higurashi no Naku KoroNi fan -insert coughing- ) if you look her up on Bulbapedia, one of the optional Japanese names for her is "Satoko" and I personally love that name.**

**Because I'm apparently the only one who supports the Lance/Leaf couple, there is no set shipping name for them. So, I came up with a name for it. ForbiddenShipping. (Because I have Lance eight years older than Satoko.)**

**I do not own Lance, Leaf, or Pokémon. I just own the story idea/plot. This also isn't undergoing Rin's special editing process, so please excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes.**

**10/14/10 ****リン雨**

A shot sounded out over the land. Her hands gripped my jacket, taking in a sharp breath while doing so. The bullet had passed through her side, lodging itself into mine. Blood began to flow from our bodies, running down our legs to the trampled grass at our feet.

"Lance," she started. I could hear the catch in her voice; she was trying not to cry.

"Satoko," her name escaped my lips. The pain from the bullet flared through my body. I wonder if it was doing the same for her.

"I'm sorry, Lance," her voice was high. Her tears started to dampen my shirt. "I'm so sorry."

I could feel her body trembling as I wrapped my arms around her. "No, I'm sorry, Satoko," I whispered. "I was a fool; a damn fool."

Another shot sounded, this one going through her left shoulder and into my chest. I choked, blood beginning to drip from my mouth. I hugged her tighter, coughing blood onto her shoulder. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

Satoko shook her head. "I-I don't want to die. Not now."

Pain started to numb my body and it hurt as I pressed my lips to hers. I'd never fallen in love until Satoko, this was my first kiss. "Me, neither, sweetheart," I whispered. Satoko is still young, only fifteen; she had such a bright future. I screwed up my life, and at twenty-three I didn't know I could fix it.

Until now. But now it's too late.

"I love you, Lance," she whispered just before a third shot sounded. This one went through her neck, penetrating my chest to stop my heart. I couldn't tell her how I felt.

**

* * *

**

It wasn't long after the shot that took down Lance did the final shot hit Satoko. The two of them fell to the ground, covered in each other's blood. Both of them dead.

Whitney, Goldenrod's Gym Leader who had been in the fight and watching from only a few feet away, stepped closer. "This shouldn't have happened, not to those two," she said in a flat tone. "Lance made poor decisions, he deserved to die. But not Satoko; she was killed for the mere fact that she loved him."

They were buried together on that mountain. A rock placed over their grave with their names carved into it.

**I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice.**

**Until next time, nakamatachi.**

**~RS**


	2. Chapter 2

**10/15/10 ****リン雨**

"Can you hear me?" a powerful male voice sounded through my brain. My entire body was numb at first, but as soon as my thoughts caught up to me, I started feeling the pain of the wounds I had received before…

"I can hear you," I responded. I refused to open my eyes, I refused to move. I was laying on the ground, surrounded by a bright light. "Is this death?" I asked.

The voice didn't respond, not for a long time. "If you're asking if you are dead, you are correct. Satoko is, as well."

I could feel my heart breaking. "She didn't deserve to die," I whispered. "Not because of me. I-I… She loved me, and I was too much of a fool to realize that she had been with me the entire time." Why hadn't I seen it before? Satoko, even though she was such a young girl, could have stopped me from becoming what I had.

"Do you regret what happened?"

I nodded. I curled onto my side, covering my head with my arms. "Of course I do. If I could go back in time and stop myself from being so blind, I… I…" I was ashamed of the tears that were streaming from my eyes.

"Would you like to start from the beginning? I can give you a second chance at life from when you two first met, if you swear to never become like you were."

Despite the pain it brought, I sat up. I didn't know where I was; just that it was very bright. I was still covered in blood, the feel of Satoko's arms still wrapped around my body even though she was nowhere to be seen. "Of course! I would trade anything to try again!"

"Then I will grant you your wish."

I looked up to see two large shapes. They stood on four legs; one white and gold, the other blue. "You can?"

"We can; if not, we can at least allow you to see a world where your sins were never committed."

"I have one last request," I tried to stand up, my legs were weak and my body felt heavy. "I want to see her; I want to see my Satoko. I need to tell her how I feel!"

The figures stepped away from each other, revealing Satoko laying on the ground. I began to walk to her, my body refusing to move, but I forced it to anyway. "Satoko, I-" Silence filled my ears before I had the chance to tell her as a light engulfed us, surrounding all of our bodies.

**I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice.**

**Until next time, nakamatachi.**

**~RS**


	3. Chapter 3

**10/15/10 ****リン雨**

The ocean waves lapped at the sand, the sun beat down hard against me and against the rock I was laying on. I opened my eyes just a tiny bit. How long have I been asleep on the beach? I sat up, my hair falling forward over my face before I ran my fingers through it to spike it back into place. I looked around the beach; it seemed to be around late noon.

"Hey!" a girl's voice yelled from somewhere. I looked in front of me; standing in the waves wearing sky blue knee-high socks, a red miniskirt, and a blue and black tank top was a girl who looked rather angry at my being here. "How did you find this place?" she asked, she held a hat in her right hand. She had shoulder-length chocolate brown hair.

"I was running," I replied, suddenly remembering how I had gotten to this place. I was running away from the police, knowing that they would have questions about the whereabouts of my father. The girl, she stood about twenty feet away from the rock I sat on, shook her head and sighed.

"Well, I guess that's okay," she muttered walking towards me. She rung out the cloth of her skirt with her hands before she sat down on the rock below mine. She leaned back, looking up to me. "So, who are you?"

"My name is Lance. Lance Wataru," I replied.

She smiled at me, holding up a hand to shake mine. "I'm Satoko Green! It's nice to meet you!" She had a kind, warm smile that I didn't want to end.

Why did it feel like I knew her from somewhere?

**I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice.**

**Until next time, nakamatachi.**

**~RS**


	4. Chapter 4

**10/15/10 ****リン雨**  
Satoko was a chatty little thing. Age eleven and she had already crossed Johto, Kanto, and Hoenn; she showed me all twenty-four badges, which had lost the shine to them because she forgot to polish them regularly. She had an adventurous spirit and a rather stubborn attitude with a burning desire to prove herself to the world. She was kind to top everything off; her Pokémon just as nice. She talked about her home, how spontaneous her mother was and how much she took after her.

It seemed like her entire life story that she told me, and I listened to her every word. When she was finished, she offered to buy me lunch, which my growling stomach accepted without argument.

During our meal, Satoko made me tell her about myself. I'd come from a rich and influential family, my parents were strict and not very caring, also my father was the head of an evil company that the police always questioned me about. I was organized, focused only on one thing at a time; the exact opposite of Satoko in every way shape and form. The only thing we really had in common was our Pokémon, the two of us unbelievably strong.

Even though Satoko was a nice little girl, part of me didn't think I could get along with her. As we parted at the end of the day, I swore to myself that I would never make contact with her again.

But no matter where I went, she would always be there.

**I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice.  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**


	5. Chapter 5

**10/17/10 ****リン雨**  
It wasn't anything bad, or even stalker-like. As the months passed us by, I would see Satoko wherever I went. If I was staying the night at a fancy hotel, she would come from nowhere with a warm smile on her face and happy wave. If I were to be walking down the road, she would pass me while chasing something. It didn't bother me much, I soon found myself looking forward to seeing her.

And my heart would break if I didn't.

After a year of this, I started to notice her absence was becoming more frequent. I refused to blame myself, instead I made excuses as to why she wasn't there. Visiting her mother, off training, anything that would reassure my panicking mind that she was more than okay.

Then just like that, she was there again. Her smiles just as kind, her waves just as happy to see me as she was. By age twelve, now, her body started to develop. Her hair growing longer, her curves more defined, standing taller. She was growing into a wonderful young woman.

Not that it mattered to me. Satoko was off limits, but that never once stopped her and I from being friends.

If that's what you could call it.

After I started noticing her changes, I started noticing the changes in myself. How less the world seemed to me, how angry I got at people, how I stopped showing myself in public. It was around this time, did I start to take my father's place in the evil where he stood.

Each time I stepped outside, I was flocked with police and new reporters.

Each time I saw Satoko, I felt nothing towards the pained look she would give me.

**GASP! Lance, how **_**dare**_** you not feel anything towards Satoko?  
*cough*  
I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice.  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**


	6. Chapter 6

**10/17/10 リン雨**  
What goes around, comes around. A boomerang effect. I took my father's position to the next level, gaining power beyond my wildest dreams. Armies stood behind me, wielding weapons of war and Pokémon of strength. I enjoyed watching as people would cower as I passed them, the shiver that ran through their meaningless bodies as they whispered my name.

I was no longer a nobody. No. I was much more than that.

Bodyguards took bullets for me, their deaths meant nothing. Careless mistakes were punished by death.

I loved every minute of it. For two long years, I would laugh at those who stood below me.

Over those two years, the meaning of friendship had faded. Anyone who meant anything to me, was now just a distant memory.

Over those two years, there was a nagging voice at the back of my mind that kept me laying wide awake at night. A voice that kept telling me that I was making a mistake. That there was only one person who could save me at this point.

I had power, money, and the essence of fear around me. I didn't need anyone to save me. I could save myself. I needed no one.**  
I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice.  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**


	7. Chapter 7

**10/19/10 ****リン雨**  
Déjà vu, an experience where something new seems to have already happened. In other words, it's the feeling that something has happened when it has not. It's an odd feeling; conversations seeming as if they are happening again, events playing out as if predetermined.

And it's been happening a lot.

The course of another year passed, everything feeling as though it had already happened even though I knew for a fact that this was the first time to witness it. It started to drive me insane, the nagging feeling that something was _out of place_ never went away.

The generals of my army would advise more sleep, more relaxing time. I tried to do just that; ignoring the outside world as I encased myself in my work.

Yet as everything passed me by, as time moved forward, these déjà vu feelings would leave me exhausted. It all strung together in a fraying knot; my exhaustion led to depression, then it would all lead to anger.

A burning rage to make everything stop.

So I began to make a plan. A plan that would be able to stop time itself.

**And now the plot thickens!  
I hope you enjoyed! Reviews would be nice!  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**


	8. Chapter 8

**10/19/10 ****リン雨**  
It was simple, really. A large explosion that would be able to take out the entire northern half of Johto's mountain range. Pokémon, dynamite, whatever I could get my hands on to make this work. The plan took almost a year to create and organize, then several months of calculating and placing.

It wouldn't be long from now before everything would end. I would be at the center of it all.

I didn't plan to survive, nor did I plan to have many survivors. This plan wasn't about destroying the land, it wasn't about displaying the power I held. Only a little, I'll admit to that.

It was more about wiping out the insanity that I knew had been creeping into the corners of my mind, erasing everything that had led to this point.

Around this time, that nagging voice in the back of my head, the one I blamed on my insanity, would only repeat one phrase over and over and over.

"_She could have saved you."_

By now, I had forgotten who _she_ was.

**I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice.  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**

**P.S. I got a new mouse today. It has a giant spider in it. It's really cool. I call him Scooter.**


	9. Chapter 9

**10/19/10 ****リン雨**  
The time came to set my master plan into action. I sat on the side of the mountain, looking down and watching as my army moved into its final position. In my hand, a remote with a small button to end it all. A smirk on my face.

This would all be gone in a matter of time. In the matter of just a few short hours.

But I hadn't planned on a resistance.

A small army, led by a short little girl with a red skirt and her pink-haired friend, charged up the mountain. Generals yelled for commands, demanding to know what to do. I could only laugh, it was a pitiful attempt that served no threat to me or my plan. They would simply die with the rest of us.

I didn't expect that small army, led by a couple of girls, to get as far as the peak I was sitting on. Bodyguards, who were currently unarmed and I mentally yelled at myself for making that decision, tried to hold them back as best as they could. I was surprised to see how well they could fight; each one of them stronger than the next and highly trained in several forms of combat.

I hadn't the faintest idea as to what to do. I could issue the command, press the little button on the remote in my hand to start my plan. Chaos rampaged for the feeling of forever, the men that guarded me not letting up one inch.

I looked back out over the mountain; my army now fighting off dozens of people. A bloodbath had ensued between both sides. My mind went rampant.

I turned to the bodyguards, mouth open to shout the final command, but I noticed something.

The small girl, the one at the front who was leading the group, had broken through the fighting. She looked ready to kill; fierce, ice blue eyes burned into me.

I moved my hand slightly, ready to press the button before she could do anything. I hadn't noticed the fighting stop, didn't see that everyone was watching. I barely felt the remote fall from my hand and hit the ground, breaking upon impact to a rock.

Her arms had wrapped around my waist, her face buried into my chest. I froze.

Silence fell over the mountain in a thick blanket. My mind refused to tell me how to react.

"Take the shot!" a voice shouted from somewhere in the crowd.

"_She could have saved you."_**  
I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice.  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**

**And~~! To those of you who don't know: "nakamatachi" means "friends" in Japanese!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**10/19/10 ****リン雨**  
The sound of a single gunfire rang out across the mountain. Her hands gripped my jacket, taking a sharp breath while doing so. The bullet from this shot had passed through her side, lodging itself deep into mine. Blood began to flow from our bodies in time to our heartbeats, running down our legs to the grass that had been trampled in the battle.

"Lance," she started. I heard the catch in her voice; she was trying not to cry.

"Satoko," her name escaped my lips, my mind faintly remembering her. The pain from the bullet lodged in my side flared throughout my body. I wonder if it was doing the same for her.

"I'm sorry, Lance," her voice was soft, and high with pain. Her tears started to dampen my shirt. "I'm so sorry."

I could feel her body trembling as I wrapped my arms around her. I held her tightly. "No, I'm sorry, Satoko," I whispered. "I can't make an excuse. I was a fool; a damn fool."

There was another shot that sounded, this one going through her left shoulder and into my chest. I choked, the bitter taste of my blood as it began to drip from my mouth. I hugged her tighter, coughing blood onto her shoulder. "I'm sorry this happened."

Satoko shook her head, the movement hurt the gun wound to my chest. "I-I don't want to die. Not again, not now."

Despite the pain that numbed my body, I gently placed my left hand to her cheek and pressed my lips to hers. I was so busy buried in my work, I never got to chance to get close to anyone; this was my first kiss. "Me, neither, sweetheart," I whispered. Satoko is still so young, now that I realize it, she is only fifteen; she had such a bright future ahead of her. I screwed up my life, detaching myself from the world for power; at twenty-three, with the insanity and rage that clouded my judgment, I didn't know that I could fix the hell I called my life.

Until now. But now it's too late.

"I love you, Lance," she whispered just before the third shot was set off. Satoko screamed, it was choked and pained; the bullet had passed through her neck, penetrating my chest to stop my heart. I didn't get the chance to tell her the many words I wanted to about how I felt.

* * *

It was only a few short seconds after the shot that took down Lance did the final bullet hit Satoko. The two of them, covered in each other's blood, fell to the ground. Both of them were dead.

A silence of death surrounded the mountain. The main enemy had fallen, but there was nothing calming about it.

Whitney, Goldenrod's Gym Leader and Satoko's best friend who was one of the two who led the fight and watching from just a few feet away in the crowd of armies, stepped closer. "This shouldn't have happened, not to those two," she said in a flat tone. "Lance had made poor decisions, he deserved to die. But not Satoko; she was killed for the mere fact that she loved him."

They were buried together in that spot on the mountain. A rock was placed over their grave, their names carved into it with one final phrase.

"_They could have saved each other."_

**And that is the story! However…**

**Nikki: -stares intently at Rin-  
Me: . . . WHAT?  
Nikki: -whining- You killed them again!  
Me: Yes… I di-  
Nikki: Nooo! They are not allowed to die!  
Me: -after a couple of awkward seconds- Umm…  
Brittney: -same reaction as Nikki-  
Me: . . . WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?  
both: Lance and Satoko are not allowed to die yet!  
Me: I guess I'm not allowed to say "The End" yet…  
Nikki: -thrusts stack of papers at Rin- Not a chance.  
Brittney: We'll be waiting.**

**-coughs-  
Well, I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice!  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**


	11. Chapter 11

**Goodness! Sorry for such a long hiatus! The time slipped away from me!  
10/20/10 リン雨**  
"Can you hear me?" a strong, male voice reverberated through my head. My entire body ached until it was numb. My thoughts raced, and soon I began to feel the burning pain from the wounds I received before…

"Yes, I can hear you," I responded. I refused to open my eyes; I refused to move in any way. I lay on the ground, surrounded by a bright light that felt warm against my aching body. I tried; I really tried to remember what had brought me to this point. "Is this death?" I asked. Two deaths registered in my brain, from my first life and the one from my second chance. "Oh my god, I failed!"

The voice didn't respond, not for a very long time. "You have died. Satoko has, as well."

My heart shattered to a million pieces rendering the pain of death invalid. "I failed her again. I allowed myself to do the exact same thing as I did the first time!" Why didn't I listen to that voice in my head? The one I blamed on the insanity of the constant déjà vu; it was really trying to tell me what I was doing wrong.

I curled onto my side, covering my head with my arms as if it could hide the shame I felt for myself. "I don't deserve another chance after what I had done."

"Do you truly believe that?"

Despite all the pain the movement of my body brought, I sat up. I didn't know where to look, but I looked around anyway. "I honestly, truly do. I deserve to rot in Hell for what I did to her." The tears that fell from my eyes burned; I wasn't ashamed at them, I was ashamed at the fact that I had failed twice. "She deserves another life, one without me."

"Most humans as greedy as you had been beg for another chance at life, only to relive the life they messed up. Yet here you are, begging to give the woman you love a second chance; willing to give up being by her side so that she can be happy."

I could still feel Satoko's arms wrapped around my body, could still feel her warmth even though she was nowhere to be seen. I closed my eyes, tilting my head to the ground. "I see now: I held her back from what I wanted her to be."

The voice allowed the overwhelming silence to settle. "I will give you one last chance."

My head snapped up. There were two large figures standing in front of me, the same two from my first death. "What?" I couldn't believe what I had just heard.

"But it is the final chance either of you two will get," the voice warned. "Do you understand?"

I nodded my head. "I understand."

"Do you wish to see her before you are reborn?" The figures stepped away, revealing Satoko laying on the ground behind them.

I stumbled to my feet, running to her side to take her in my arms. I held her tightly, repeating her name as I stroked her soft hair. "Satoko, I-" Another bright light engulfed us. It was at that moment did I realize that I didn't have time to tell her how I felt. It was the forth time I missed the chance.****

Again, I'm sorry I made you all wait!  
I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice!  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS


	12. Chapter 12

**10/20/10 ****リン雨**  
Thunder rolled through the sky, a low rumble that vibrated the earth. Ice cold rain slowly began to hit my cheeks, pattering softly against the rock I lay on. Ocean waves sounded angry as they lapped at the sand. I opened my eyes slowly, blinking as the rain hit them. How long have I been asleep on the beach? How long as it been raining? Has it always been raining? I sat up, my hair falling into my face before I spiked it back into place with my fingers. The clouds covered the sky in a thick blanket, there was no way to estimate the time of day.

The air was cold, raising goose bumps on my arms even though I wore a jacket. Rain started to fall harder.

"Hey!" a girl's voice yelled from in front of me. I looked up to see, standing about twenty feet away and ankle deep in the waves, a girl wearing a red miniskirt and black jacket with an odd phrase printed on it. By the look in her fierce blue eyes, she wasn't too happy I was here. "How did you find this place?" She had shoulder length chocolate brown hair that blew wildly in the wind from the rain.

"I was run-"

"That doesn't matter right now!" she interrupted running onto the shore to grab my hand and drag me from the rock I sat on. "There's a really bad storm brewing out there and this cove will be flooded before you know it!"

I stumbled behind her as she ran through the waves of the ocean, how she did this without stumbling baffled me. She dragged me through a city, lights were on in the houses as we passed through. No one dared to brave the storm. Besides this girl and myself, at least.

"So, who are you?" she yelled over the heavy rain and thunder as we ran across a route and into another town.

"Lance!" I shouted back to her. She led me through knee tall grass that would have gotten us wet, if we weren't already so.

"I'm Satoko!" she shouted in return. I could almost hear the smile in her voice. She stopped us under the edge of a roof of a small house after we ran through a large, open and empty park. The two of us too out of breath to speak. After a few minutes of us panting hard and shivering, Satoko took my hand once again and continued to drag me into a large city.

"Believe it or not!" she yelled over her shoulder as we entered a dense forest. The rain passed only very little in this forest, we were able to walk through it. "This is the safest way to get to my house!" she concluded smiling even through her heavy breathing. "While flying we could be hit by lightning."

I didn't question her at all, just followed her through the forest until the end. When we exited, the storm had let up a little. Satoko called out a Pokémon, a large bird that I couldn't identify, forcing me onto its back to fly the short distance to her small home town.

She was skilled at flying, I could tell by how she moved with her Pokémon. I, however, could feel the burning blush that crawled across my face as I had to hold onto her waist to not fall off.

But despite the embarrassment, I felt more comfortable than I ever had before.

**I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice!  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**


	13. Chapter 13

**10/21/10 ****リン雨**  
The storm started to rage again as she forced me into her home. The scent of different cooked foods and different spices hit me face-first, immediately causing my stomach to growl. Satoko called out a greeting to her mother before she dragged me down a hallway at the back of the house to a rather large bathroom. Fuzzy towels were pushed into my arms before she ran off to get a spare set of clothing for me to wear. I was only a little concerned about the sizes she would bring as I removed my drenched clothing.

"Throw them in the bathtub for now!" Satoko yelled, throwing a pair of black sweatpants and a black tee-shirt into the bathroom. I thanked whatever God was listening that she hadn't looked in to find me soaking wet and naked. Sighing, I dried myself off as quickly as I could, noticing just how cold I felt. Looking over the clothing she handed, I decided it best to at least try them.

I was surprised at how well they fit, even the pair of yellow smiley-face boxers that was folded in the pants. My body shivered in welcome to the warmth. When I opened the door, Satoko waved before slipping into the room herself. A couple minutes later, she returned with the large pile of dripping clothing to run across the hall to a laundry room.

After throwing our clothes into the dryer, she turned to me with a smile and led me to the dining room table. She sat me down, a plate already set for me. I couldn't form words at their generosity.

"Help yourself to however much you want, Lance," Satoko's mother told me, placing a large pot of some kind of stew in the middle of the table. "Any friend of Satoko's is allowed their fill. That, and I don't want either of you two catching a cold for being out in that storm!" she started scolding Satoko about responsibility. Satoko just munched on a dinner roll, leaning against her left elbow as she pretended to listen.

The home cooked meal still steamed with freshness and heat. After my second helping, I was self-conscious about taking a third. That is, until I glanced at Satoko to find her taking her forth. Throughout the dinner, the three of us laughed at stories Satoko and her mother told. Their happy little family made me feel welcome.

After dinner, which Satoko and I cleaned for her mother, Satoko and I sat under a blanket together in front of a fire in the fireplace. She had her head leaning against my shoulder, falling asleep.

"I hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch," Satoko's mother whispered as she walked down the stairs from the second floor with a thick blanket and a fluffy pillow. She set them on the couch with a soft _thud_.

"Not at all," I replied, smiling.

She unfolded the blanket, placing the pillow at one of the arms. "Can you be a dear and tuck Satoko into bed for me, please?" she asked. "Her room is at the top of the stairs."

Satoko muttered something, her eyes barely half open. I carefully removed the blanket from our shoulders, gently picking Satoko up like a sleeping child. She was wearing a button-up pink night shirt and light blue sweatpants, she looked warm. Her arms wrapped loosely around my neck.

Her room was filled with different plushy Pokémon, little figurines on shelves. It was dark, I didn't feel a need to turn the light on. Her bed was in the far corner, blankets soft as I sat down.

"Good night, Lance," she muttered as I pulled the blankets over her. She took a plushy tightly in her arms, falling asleep quickly.

"Good night, Satoko," I whispered, placing a light kiss on her cheek before I returned to the couch to sleep out the storm that still rumbled over the house.****

Did anyone else "aww" a lot while reading this?  
I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice!  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS


	14. Chapter 14

**10/20/10 ****リン雨**  
The scent of cooking French toast flew up my nose as I took a deep breath. I sat up, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hands. At first I didn't know where I was or how I got there when I looked around. Seeing Satoko's mother cooking in the kitchen made me remember the night before.

"Well, good morning!" she called looking over the counter, a smile on her face. "Hope you're hungry!"

I could only stare at her in shock. "You didn't have to make breakfast," I mumbled looking across the room to the clock hanging on the wall. It was barely before eight in the morning.

"I did anyway!" she replied, returning to her cooking. "It should be done in about twenty minutes. Do you mind waking Satoko up at that time?"

I nodded, standing up to go to the bathroom. I returned a couple minutes later, hands smelling of a very girly vanilla scent. Satoko's mother apologized, explaining that Satoko had chosen it. I couldn't complain; they had given me a place to stay for the night to wait out the storm, gave me clean clothes, and fed me.

Satoko's mother pointed me in the direction of the cabinet containing the dishes, asking if I could set the table for her. She laughed when I commented on the mismatching silverware; I was only a little confused by that.

Breakfast foods were brought to the table, which cued me to wake Satoko. I climbed the stairs to her room, knocking on her door twice before I entered. Satoko was curled in a ball under a massive mound of blankets; if I couldn't hear her sleep mumbling, I wouldn't have suspected she was there. Upon moving the blankets, the sleeping angel that was Satoko was revealed sound asleep on her right side. Her hair a mess, a plushy held in a tight death grip in her arms.

"Time to get up, Satoko," I said, shaking her shoulder. She raised her left arm, waving it around in the air before she hit me in the head with a loud _thump_.

She sat up, stretching her arms above her head before grabbing her blankets and returning to her pillow. "But… I love…" I wondered what she was dreaming about. She turned onto her other side, her hand resting gently on my knee. "Toffee."

Three tries later, I finally had Satoko walking down the stairs as she leaned against the wall. She muttered occasionally, incoherent phrases that made me chuckle from the delight she was. She locked herself in the bathroom for a good five minutes when we arrived back to the first floor. When she returned, the only difference was that she had combed her hair.

We sat at the table, Satoko's head buried in her arms as her mother brought the rest of the food.

After breakfast, Satoko gave me back my clothes so I could get dressed. They felt soft, but I was shocked by half of the things I touched.

The storm had cleared, leaving bright blue skies above us with soft white clouds.

And so my day began, a feeling that I had never gotten the chance to do this before lingered in the back of my mind.

**I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice!  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey there, my faithful followers! Sorry I haven't updated this in, like, forever! Family problems came up, and that was a little more important than updating a story. Anyway, Sorry for the delay!**

**10/27/10 ****リン雨**  
Satoko was a chatty little thing, easily distracted, and had to jump in every rain puddle we passed as we walked through the small town. Age eleven and she had already crossed Johto, Kanto, and Hoenn; she showed off the twenty-four badges she had earned, they were dusty for she forgets to clean them regularly. She had an adventurous spirit, a stubborn attitude, and a raging desire to prove herself to the world.

Throughout the morning, Satoko talked about her experiences; it felt like she was telling a life story, slipping in and out of what seemed to be this life and another. I listened to her every word, though. She showed me the best way to sneak up on a Pokémon, a proper way to walk silently through tall grass, and how to climb trees like a Mankey.

By late morning I found myself sitting in a tree in Satoko's back yard, one branch down from where she sat. We sat in an awkward silence, listening to the wind as it rustled the leaves. A couple of times I looked up to Satoko, her eyes watching nothing as she muttered something silently to herself. She took a deep breath or two, trying to start a conversation, but abandoned the attempts with a sigh.

Around noon, her mother called us in for a large lunch. All of us ate slowly to make the time together linger longer. An hour after we finished eating, around three that afternoon, I decided it was best if I left.

"Bai-Bai!" Satoko called from the doorway, waving both arms in the air as I walked away. "I'll see you again sometime, kay?" I wasn't sure if I would see her or not, but I looked over my shoulder to the two of them and agreed.

"You're welcome here whenever you'd like, so don't be a stranger!" Satoko's mother added with a smile.

I returned a wave to them, knowing well enough that I may never return to their little family in this little town.

But as I walked away, and as I thought about it, the more it felt like a part of me wasn't too certain that I wouldn't not see her again.

**I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice! And don't forget, if I ever start delaying my updating time, you're allowed to comment or send me a message kicking me in the butt to update!  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**


	16. Chapter 16

**10/27/10 ****リン雨**  
I was right when that nagging voice in the back of my head told me that I would see her again. It was more than a month later when I was stuck running errands for my father when we ran into each other.

Literally, on Satoko's end. She was chasing a rather fast Yanma, and forgot to pay attention to where she was running. We both fell to the ground as we collided, tumbling in the dust in a cartoon-like fashion before we stopped. The Pokémon had flown away, and Satoko growled at its new absence.

It felt nice, talking to her again. I ignored my fathers errands for the time, going to the closest café to buy lunch. Satoko had a dozen some stories to tell, which she told between the two of us sharing each others' food. Her adventures were comical, even when she seemed to be telling a sadder story. She was full of emotion, full of life.

My mind froze, imagining her lifeless body. My skin crawled with a sudden chill.

"You okay?" Satoko had a hand in front of my face, snapping to get my attention. "You look like something just really scared you."

I smiled, reaching over her arm to her plate to steal a French fry from her. "I'm just fine!"

An expression of anger and shock crossed her face before she threw two more French fries at me.

People stared at us as we laughed. It was worth wasting three hours of my day to spend it laughing with Satoko. It was worth my cheeks hurting from smiling so much.

It was worth my father's rage when I returned home, errands unfinished.

**I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice!  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**


	17. Chapter 17

**10/27/10 ****リン雨**  
It really was a strange feeling. Whenever I went outside of my house, for whatever reason it was, I looked for her. Waiting for Satoko to randomly appear, a smile on her face and a welcoming adventure.

Over the course of a year, Satoko had appeared by jumping out from behind a bush, hung backwards from a tree, grabbed my ankle from a sinkhole and dragged me into a tunnel, ran into me several times, and a very strange incident involving a leaf and a river. It was never a dull moment around her, and even though there was a part of me that was annoyed by her antics, there was a much stronger part that enjoy every second of it.

With Satoko now at twelve, she became more and more adventurous. More outgoing. (On top of it all, her body was developing in ways that almost hurt to ignore.) Her personality was contagious; the more time we spent together, the more I felt like we were connecting, despite our eight year age difference. She and I had become best friends, there wasn't a part of me that would change that.

The closer Satoko and I became, the less I wanted to take my father position at top of whatever it is that he was doing. I ignored his orders, disobeyed what he wanted, delayed his plans.

There was nothing to prepare me for what he was going to do in another year.

**I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice!  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**


	18. Chapter 18

**10/27/10 ****リン雨**  
"You are more than a disgrace to this family!" my father shouted no more than a second after his fist collided with my left cheek. "You were given nothing but the best and look at what you repay us with!" A foot hit my stomach, knocking the breath from my lungs.

I could see my mother in the distance through blurred vision, she was appalled at me. I coughed, choking on the blood from a split lip. I wanted to respond, but it was hard to breathe. I was trapped, laying on the floor at the mercy of my father.

"Who will run this company?" he shouted down at me. "You knew I was retiring today! Without you leading it, it will fall apart faster than you can blink!"

Of course I knew that. It was time that his evil ways stopped, time that his "company" disbanded and dissolved. I would tell him, if I could, but I was still taking my punishment.

A man in a business suit ran into the room, gazing warily down at me before muttering something to my father. His eyes went wide; I knew what had been said, the company had ended.

My father knelt down, slapping me hard once before he took my collar in his fist, pulling me into a pained sitting position an inch from his face. "You are no longer part of this family. No one will want you after the stunts you've done. You're a failure, a useless wimp of a man that will never amount to anything."

With those final words, I could just barely hear thunder rumbling low over the mountain not far from the mansion we lived in, my father slammed me down onto the marble flooring. My head hit hard, my already blurred vision completely blacking. I tried not to lose consciousness as my body was lifted, limp and weak, over the shoulder of someone. I was dumped outside, the thunder getting closer as I lay in the grass watching the storm's wind rustle the leaves of the trees.

A thought whispered through my mind before I finally passed out.

"_It was raining when you first met her."_

**I hope you enjoyed. Reviews would be nice!  
Until next time, nakamatachi.  
~RS**


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